RailStaff April 2018 by Rail Media

APRIL 2018 | ISSUE 245

PLUS NEWS PEOPLE EVENTS INTERVIEWS FEATURES HEALTH & SAFETY COMPANY FOCUS TRAINING CAREERS

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THINGS CHANGE However, the industry is changing, new suppliers from other industries are entering the arena, procurement processes are changing and there is an increased focus on joint ventures. All this is leading to confusion and missed opportunities.

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CONTENTS APRIL 2018 | ISSUE 245

COST OF ELECTRIFICATION BEHIND CANCELLATION | 07

Rising costs and Network Rail’s reclassification as a public body were the main factors behind the cancellation of three rail electrification schemes last year, a new report has said.

DANIELLE HOPKINS

A PLAN FOR CP6 | 22

Marc Johnson sat down with Mark Carne to reflect on his career, CP6 and why Network Rail won’t stop delivering big, exciting projects.

VIRGIN'S PEOPLE PERSON | 26

Natasha Grice talks about her career with Virgin and her new role of people director.

MASTERING APPRENTICESHIPS | 40

Is the railway meeting its apprenticeship targets and are companies reaping the benefits of the apprenticeship levy?

BECOMING A BTP DOG HANDLER | 44

Find out what it takes to become part of the British Transport Police’s dog unit.

T H G I L T O P

2 2018 |ti3ng IL A R A T INFRo doubt be promors the STRY A ln live U D IN n HE ry Chris Grayli g wsiluppliers as he de T T E E M creta ng rail rt Se ill bri Transpo unities CP6 w . rt rail 2018 o a p fr p o In f o the te o g keyn openin

DRIVING LESSONS | 46

Marc Johnson took to the controls of an S Stock simulator to learn how drivers are preparing for the introduction of automatic train operation on the sub-surface network.

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‘Delivering quality infrastructure’

RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION

CIVIL ENGINEERING

PERMANENT WAY

COMMUNICATIONS

AIRPORTS & STATIONS

Pod-Trak is a multi-disciplinary infrastructure company established in 2007 and since then has grown steadily building long lasting partnerships with our clients. We work throughout the UK with offices based in London, Manchester and Doncaster. London Office

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Staff Contact us: Publisher:

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Marc Johnson

Production and design:

Adam O’Connor

Matthew Stokes

News Editor:

Stewart Thorpe

Track Safety:

Colin Wheeler

Event Sales:

Jolene Price

Advertising:

Asif Ahmed

Craig Smith

Keith Hopper

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

NEWS

Spread the word

Contact Email Addresses News: news@rail-media.com Pictures: pictures@rail-media.com Adverts: adverts@rail-media.com

Subscriptions: manda@rail-media.com

When it comes to advertising railway careers and the opportunities they offer, it’s helpful to have supportive voices fighting for the cause. With a daunting skills deficit on the horizon, the railway needs a grassroots movement from its staff, many of whom will no doubt have pursued their careers on the advice of friends and family.

Contact Details RailStaff Publications, Rail Media House, Samson Road, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3FP. Tel: 01530 816 444 Fax: 01530 810 344 Web: www.railstaff.uk Email: hello@rail-media.com Printed by PCP Ltd. RailStaff is published by RailStaff Publications Limited A Rail Media Publication

Lois Medley, an apprentice at WSP, said it was a friend who told her about the great opportunities on offer for aspiring engineers. She’s now completing a Level 3 BTEC in building services engineering as part of WSP’s rail team in London. “After speaking to family, teachers and friends, I decided to go for an apprenticeship. I’m more of a practical learner, so for me it’s proving to be much more rewarding and challenging than sitting in a classroom. I love working on real projects that benefit people’s everyday lives,” said Lois. Arriva Trains Wales’ community rail apprentice, Danielle Hopkins, who features on the cover of this month’s issue, shares this view. She’s been in the role for just a few © The Big Bang

months but has described the experience as “invaluable”. There are, of course, lots of ways that the industry is being promoted as an exciting, fulfilling career path. Documentaries like the Fifteen Billion Pound Railway, which documented the construction of Crossrail, and the Paddington Station 24/7 series - so popular it has just returned for a third series do a good job to show what it is really like to work on the railway. But rail will always be competing with more glamorous fields for the best engineering talent. The Big Bang fair - probably the biggest science and engineering careers event in the country - was held in March and had tens of thousands of young people come through its doors. The rail industry had a strong presence, with the likes of Network Rail, HS2, Thales and the Institute of Railway Operators (IRO) all attending but, surrounded by robotics companies, giants from the energy sector and the world’s biggest car manufacturers, they were always going to be fighting for attention. With the number of students pursuing STEM subjects into further and higher education staying relatively static, while demand for engineers continues to rise, investment in attraction is as high as it ever has been. This is why friends and family can be such a persuasive influence. For our training focus in this month’s issue, we spoke to Stewart Beard, a trainer operator for London Underground, about the 4LM driver training programme. His enthusiasm for the industry was clear. One of the proudest moments of his career to date was being on the footplate of Met Locomotive No. 1 during the London Underground’s 150th anniversary celebrations. Anyone who is passionate about the industry should make sure they share that passion with those closest to them. Get out there and spread the word. marc@rail-media.com

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Approval for £8.4m metro skills centre Plans to build an £8.4 million skills centre for the Tyne and Wear Metro have been approved by South Tyneside Council. The facility will be located on the site of the former South Shields railway station within the existing metro siding between Mile End Road and Salem Street. The three-storey skills centre will include a 70-metre section of twin track, a driver training simulator and a station mockup. As well as training Tyne and Wear Metro’s workforce, the site could be used to stable trains and carry out some light maintenance. Tobyn Hughes, managing director of Tyne and Wear Metro owner and operator Nexus, said: “Our new £8.4 million rail skills

centre will deliver a step change in the quality of the training that we can provide to our staff, contractors and industry partners. “This will be a state-of-the art training centre that will be vastly superior to the training facilities we have at the moment. This will be of huge benefit to our workforce and for the long-term future of the Tyne and Wear Metro system.” The project is being funded through a £7 million grant from the Government’s Local Growth Fund Deal and a £1.4 million contribution from Nexus. Construction is expected to start next May and will be completed in spring 2019. Galliford Try is building the centre, which is being designed by Stephen George + Partners.

Log in now or face data loss, RISQS members warned Thousands of suppliers risk their profiles being wiped from the RISQS database if they do not log in soon due to new data protection laws. Some of the 4,300 RISQS suppliers face being invisible to buyers in the GB rail market as soon as May when the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect. On 1 May, the enhanced RISQS system provided by RSSB goes live with a simpler, quicker and smarter software platform but GDPR rules demand that members’ profiles are wiped if they have not given explicit permission for their information to be held by logging in to RISQS before 25 May. Network Rail and TfL have already warned suppliers that to maintain their access and visibility to buyers they must log into the new RISQS portal now. Graeme Cox, RSSB head of

supplier assurance, said: “RISQS is the industry’s assurance scheme that matches suppliers to buyers’ needs, but we cannot retain the data of any organisation that does not log into the new system soon. Put simply, suppliers who do not log in will lose their access to the rail market. “Members know only too well that re-entering their data from scratch is laborious and time consuming but GDPR means that from May we cannot hold their data unless they log into RISQS. I do not want any rail business to be excluded from the industry because they have missed the deadline.” The process for most members simply involves logging into the new RISQS portal at https:// portal.risqs.org/Login to check, update and add any information required. Any members who need help should contact the RISQS Helpdesk on 0800 4101 300, or email info@risqs.org.

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Triumphant return for Ride India team More than 20 cyclists from across the industry have returned home after successfully completing a 450 km bike ride across India. The amazing six-day challenge has raised around £65,000 so far - money which will support vulnerable street children around the world. Individuals from companies including Virgin Trains West Coast, Hitachi, Siemens, Thales, East Midlands Trains and GoMedia took part in the inaugural Ride India charity challenge. During their journey across India, the team had the opportunity to visit a Railway Children shelter in Delhi to see how the charity helps children who are struggling to simply stay alive around the city’s railway stations. Katie Mason, Railway Children’s

events manager, said: “We are incredibly proud of those who took part in the event and grateful for the support of our sponsor Thales. It was undoubtedly a tough challenge, but knowing where the money was going, and the life-changing impact the funds would have on the children inspired all who took part.” David Palmer, from sponsor Thales, added: “Thales is proud to have played a part in this event, continuing its support to the vital work of Railway Children. I am very fortunate to have seen first hand the positive impact Railway Children is making, and hopefully, together with the other amazing people who took part in Ride India 2018, we have been able to make a small difference to the lives of children in desperate circumstances.” You can contact Railway Children to sign up to next year’s event.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

NEWS

Cost of electrification behind cancellation

Rising costs and Network Rail’s reclassification as a public body were the main factors behind the cancellation of three rail electrification schemes last year, a report by the public spending watchdog has confirmed. The National Audit Office (NAO) has published a report into its investigation of the Government’s decision to cancel three major electrification projects in July last year. The Department for Transport (DfT) initially identified 23 projects which could be cancelled or deferred to save money. It then ranked the projects based on potential savings, value for money, reputational damage and the impact cancellation would have on passengers and the supply chain. Transport secretary Chris Grayling chose to cancel schemes to electrify the Great Western main line between Cardiff and Swansea, the Midland main line north of Kettering to Sheffield and the Oxenholme to Windermere line in the Lake District. The announcement was met with heavy criticism, but Grayling defended the decision, claiming that electrification was no longer necessary and that bi-mode or alternative fuel trains could deliver the same passenger benefits without the disruption. The NAO concluded it was the combination of rising costs and Network Rail’s funding constraints that ultimately led to the decision to drop the projects. Cancelling the three projects is estimated to have saved up to £105 million in CP5 and a further £1.4 billion in CP6 (2019-2024).

The report suggests that it is too early to determine whether it is possible to deliver the benefits of electrification without electrifying the lines, but it did point out some of the disadvantages of using bi-mode trains instead of electric units, including increased track wear and higher energy costs. The NAO said it was uncertain how much the new trains will cost but that the Secretary of State has suggested that it will be cheaper than pursuing electrification. Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), said: “The National Audit Office’s (NAO) report today has confirmed that the cost of electrification was the main reason for the Government’s decision in July 2017 to cancel a number of proposed schemes. “The Railway Industry Association understands why this decision was made, but believes that electrification remains the best option for intensely used railways, due to its environmental benefits, improvement to journey times, and reduction in track wear. It is therefore vital that the Government continues to keep electrification on the table when considering future rail improvements. “Nevertheless, the industry understands that we must work to see how costs can be reduced. RIA is currently running an Electrification Cost Challenge process, which seeks to do just that by bringing together relevant industry stakeholders and suppliers to look systematically at the cost of electrification and how it can be reduced. “We hope that our report, due to be published later this year, will help open the door for future electrification schemes by showing how they could be delivered more cost efficiently and effectively.” The DfT said the report highlighted its commitment to delivering improvements to services without carrying out disruptive engineering works.

Extra Aventras Transport for London (TfL) has ordered five more Elizabeth line Aventra trains from Bombardier for the capital’s new cross-city railway. The order, which is estimated to be worth £73 million, takes the Elizabeth line’s fleet up to 70 trains and will prolong production at Bombardier’s Litchurch lane works. Additional nine-car trains were required to serve Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and will allow an increased frequency of service across the route. The original order included 585 new carriages, which are all due to be in service by the end of 2019.

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Manchester's mayor, Andy Burnham, announced his intention to order 27 new Metrolink trams to tackle congestion in the city. Expanding the Metrolink fleet was one of the measures included in a Congestion Deal plan announced by the city last month. Around £80 million will be spent on new trams in addition to £160 million on cycling and walking infrastructure. Andy Burnham said: “Congestion is a serious problem in Greater Manchester, which affects people’s health and wellbeing, as well as access to employment and education opportunities. “Every week, my Twitter

feed and inbox are filled with accounts of the difficulties people experience in travelling to work, dropping the kids off at school or getting to appointments on time. There’s no quick fix or single solution to tackling congestion and it requires a long-term approach, but there are things we could be doing better. “So I’d like all of Greater Manchester to agree to a congestion deal; transport bodies and businesses will work together to give people real choice about their travel options; whilst Greater Manchester residents must also play their part in the deal by making changes to how and when they travel and by choosing public transport, cycling or walking as an alternative to the car where possible.”

Manchester turns to trams

Up in the air Heathrow Express’ Class 332 fleet will soon be looking for a new home. Built by a Siemens/CAF joint venture, the EMUs are to be phased out by Great Western Railway (GWR), which has taken over the running of the service from Heathrow. GWR, which is owned by FirstGroup, has signed a 10-year management contract with the airport to operate the London Paddington Heathrow service from later this year. GWR plans to replace the Class 332s with Class 387 Electrostars which will be displaced by the launch of the Elizabeth line. Heathrow owns the Class 332 fleet and has said it will look to sell the trains on. By replacing the Class 332 fleet, GWR no longer needs to pursue plans to move maintenance activities from Old Oak Common to a new depot in

Hi-vis victory Network Rail has awarded Ballyclare a new contract to supply hi-vis polycotton workwear. Ballyclare said that it was able to secure the deal after satisfying requirements related to garment design and quality, commercial performance as well as laundry and wearer trials. It already supplies Network Rail with a range of waterproof foul weather garments and flameretardant and arc flash protection clothing. Ballyclare’s managing director, Carlton Greener, said: “This is excellent news for us.

It underlines the quality of the clothing we are already supplying to Network Rail, and also of the polycotton workwear which is covered by the new contract. “Our hi-vis polycotton range has recently been redesigned to provide improved fit with ladies option, better performance and greater value for money. It includes various garments such as jackets, cargo trousers and coveralls, and like all the clothing that Ballyclare supplies to Network Rail, these are in a high visibility orange which is fully compliant with the recently introduced RIS-3279-TOM standard.”

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Langley. The Old Oak Common depot sits on the future site of the new HS2 station and a new depot had been required to maintain the Class 332 fleet beyond December 2019. FirstGroup’s chief executive, Tim O’Toole, said: “Today’s agreement demonstrates the transport industry working in partnership for the benefit of passengers, allowing fast and convenient connections to continue on this crucial airport link. “We are an experienced rail operator with a strong track record in delivering customer improvements, and through this management contract we look forward to building on this operational expertise, as we work with Heathrow to bring in a dedicated fleet of highspecification trains that will help keep people moving and communities prospering in the future.”

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Act now or face data loss

uppliers are being warned that new data protection laws could result in thousands of profiles being wiped from the RISQS database if they do not log in soon. Some of the 4,300 RISQS suppliers face being invisible to buyers in the GB rail market as soon as May when the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect. On 1 May, the enhanced RISQS system provided by RSSB goes live with a simpler, quicker and smarter software platform but GDPR rules demand that members’ profiles are wiped if they have not given explicit permission for their information to be held by logging in to RISQS before 25 May.

Graeme Cox added: “Pre-registration on the portal enables any organisation which wants to supply into the GB rail market to benefit from new business opportunities as soon as the system goes live on 1 May. “Although the application process is straightforward it is important that new suppliers leave themselves enough time to populate their products and services data to make themselves as attractive as possible to buyers.”

DEADLINE Network Rail and TfL have already warned suppliers that to maintain their access and visibility to buyers they must log in to the new RISQS portal now. Graeme Cox, RSSB head of supplier assurance, said: “RISQS is the industry’s assurance scheme that matches suppliers to buyers’ needs, but we cannot retain the data of any organisation that does not log in to the new system soon. Put simply, suppliers who do not log in will lose their access to the rail market. “Members know only too well that reentering their data from scratch is laborious and time-consuming but GDPR means that from May we cannot hold their data unless they log in to RISQS. I do not want any rail business to be excluded from the industry because they have missed the deadline.” The new enhanced RISQS platform is now open for new supplier members to pre-register. RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

SUPPLIER GATEWAY RSSB RISQS acts as a gateway for suppliers to enter the market, providing assurance for 110-plus buyers, including Network Rail and TfL, to do business with confidence with 4,300 companies. “For those who have thought about RISQS before or who are developing plans to enter the rail market I would say take a look at the features of the enhanced RISQS system now and be ready for 1 May when it opens for business,” added Graeme.

To remain visible to buyers, most existing members simply need to log in to the new RISQS portal at https://portal.risqs.org/Login to check, update and add any information required. Any members who need help or wish to pre-register should contact the RISQS helpdesk on 0800 4101 300, or email info@risqs.org.

Arriving now – the enhanced RISQS platform On time. On budget. On track.

In just three weeks the GB rail market will experience a new era in supplier assurance. Now is the time to ensure you’re on board to access the rail market from May 1 when enhanced RISQS goes live. Thousands of members have already migrated their data to the new system and are renewing their membership and booking audits. To make sure you remain visible to buyers and don’t get left on the platform – log in to the new system now at https://portal.risqs.org/Login.

PEOPLE

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

Rebecca to strengthen community link

Porterbrook gets new head of procurement

Greater Anglia has appointed its first schools liaison and accessibility manager to strengthen its ties to the communities it serves.

Rolling stock operating company Porterbrook has appointed a new head of procurement.

In her new role, Rebecca Richardson will work alongside regional disability organisations and local authorities to promote accessibility across its network. Rebecca, who has previously worked for c2c and National Express, will also oversee an equality board which will include community groups who represent people with additional needs. In her schools liaison role, Rebecca will work closely with Network Rail and the British Transport Police (BTP) to promote railway safety and tackle antisocial behaviour. Rebecca said: “I’m looking

forward to working with local schools, community organisations and partners to improve our links with the communities we serve and help make life a little easier for our passengers, especially in terms of safety and accessibility.” Jonathan Denby, head of corporate affairs for Greater Anglia, added: “I’m delighted to welcome Rebecca to the team. Accessibility and education are two very important areas for the business and it’s great that we will now have this enhanced focus to help drive through improvements to passengers’ travelling experience and important safety messages to young people.”

GBRf director joins RFG board Duncan Clark, GB Railfreight’s (GBRf) director of strategic development, has been appointed to the Rail Freight Group’s (RFG) board of directors. Duncan joined GBRf in 2015 and oversees the company’s network capacity, business performance, major projects, business improvement, sales, and external communications. Prior to joining GBRf, he spent a year working as programme director for Network Rail’s Digital Railway programme and was before that Network Rail’s general manager of freight. Duncan said: “I am honoured to have been appointed to this position and there can be no more important time for the voice of the rail freight sector to be strongly represented. “The next Control Period, which Network Rail is in the process of agreeing with the Government, could be pivotal for the future competitiveness of rail

freight. The RFG must ensure that it puts across the views of the sector and that it achieves the outcomes that will be best for all who operate on the railways.” GBRf’s managing director John Smith added: “Duncan is a worthy addition to the board and will bring all his extensive experience and no-nonsense approach to the RFG so that the group is as effective as it can be. “We are extremely lucky to have him here at GBRf, and it is great to see that the rest of the industry will soon be able to benefit from his insights.” RFG is the representative body for rail freight in the UK.

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Anvesh Prasad has more than 20 years’ experience in procurement and engineering, having worked for the likes of SIG, BAE Systems, Bombardier and Rolls-Royce. Porterbrook chief commercial officer Stephen McGurk said: “I am delighted to welcome Anvesh to my team. “Porterbrook is looking to invest significant sums in both existing fleets and new trains over coming years. Anvesh will play a key role in enhancing our partnerships with both the aftermarket supply chain and OEMs.”

Anvesh, who joined Porterbrook on March 12, added: “With a renewed emphasis on asset management and innovative product development Porterbrook will be looking to build strong and long-term relationships with its existing supply chain, as well as identify new entrants who can help us meet the needs of tomorrow’s passengers.”

Brown steps down Govia Thameslink Railway’s chief operating officer, Nick Brown, is to be replaced by Patrick Verwer (pictured). In a statement, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said Nick would be leaving in September to pursue his “wider interests”, with the former London Midland managing director taking his place. Patrick led London Midland between January 2012 and December 2017, when the franchise transferred to West Midlands Trains. Born and educated in the Netherlands, Patrick came to the UK in 2003 to become managing director of Merseyrail. Charles Horton, GTR’s chief executive, said: “Nick has made a major contribution to GTR, strengthening the team, improving performance and building high levels of collaborative working with Network Rail and stakeholders. His exceptional leadership, commitment and hard work will be greatly missed by me and many others across GTR. “When Nick joined us in the

autumn of 2016 he made a commitment to be with us for a two-year period to see through the introduction of the new timetable and the wider changes we have made. With that commitment due to be fulfilled by the autumn, Nick has decided that this will be the right time for him to move on and pursue his wider interests. “I am delighted to welcome Patrick to GTR. He is a highly experienced railway professional with an outstanding track record of leadership in the transport industry. He will continue to implement the rollout of GTR’s RailPlan20/20 Programme, which is extending capacity in the fastest-growing and most challenging region of the UK rail network.”

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Director role for Darlow New non-executive director for Fenix Signalling Chris Darlow has been appointed rail director at the multi-disciplinary engineering specialists Dyer & Butler.

Chris will use his 20 years of experience in the industry to develop Dyer & Butler's rail business. Chris was previously rail delivery director for Osborne, where he was responsible for the minor works business and major rail programmes, including the Network Rail IP Southern CP5 Multi-Functional Framework for the Wessex route. Part of M Group Services, Dyer & Butler serves the airport, railway and highway sectors. Dyer & Butler managing director Neil Edwards said: “Chris brings extensive specialist rail and metro experience to this role, having

successfully overseen an impressive range of highprofile, multidisciplinary engineering projects including civil, building, M&E, signalling and telecoms, further strengthening our rail team and being an important part of our growth strategy for the rail business. “Our rail division delivers a wide range of services and solutions tailored for the rail industry and Chris brings considerable sector knowledge and skills to this important role. I am delighted to welcome Chris to our management team.”

Network Rail's former head of design joins BWB Consulting BWB Consulting has appointed Jonathan Wright, the former head of Network Rail’s building and civils design team, to lead its new rail group. The engineering consultancy was taken over by Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF last year. It remains a standalone business but is expected to play a key role in CAF’s expansion into English-speaking markets, beginning with the formation of BWB’s rail design group. Jonathan’s appointment also coincides with CAF appointing BWB to assist with the management of gauging projects for the £1.4 billion worth of rolling stock it is manufacturing for UK clients. He said: “CAF and BWB bring real pedigree to the table and I’m going to be cultivating my extensive rail industry experience to make sure we explore its full potential.” Andy Passmore, BWB board director for transport and

infrastructure, said Jonathan’s appointment represents a significant milestone in the companies’ strategy to increase their presence in the heavy and light rail sectors. He added: “BWB has been working in the industry for several years, providing civil and structural services on rail renewal projects and strategic rail freight interchanges, as well as involvement in tram systems, light rail research programme and the promotion of a new national rail freight route. “With the recent announcement of £48 billion for Network Rail’s Control Period 6 and nationally significant rail schemes such as HS2 progressing well, we think our investment in a BWB rail group comes at the right moment. “The Government’s aspiration for market-led rail schemes and combined track/train franchises suggests it is a great time for a company like BWB to focus on the rail consultancy market.”

Steve McLaren has joined the board of Fenix Signalling as a non-executive director. Steve, who was appointed to the board in March, has worked in the industry for more than 30 years. During his career, he worked for Alstom and spent seven years as managing director of the company’s Signalling Solutions joint venture. Steve said: “I’m really pleased to be joining Fenix Signalling in a non-executive director capacity and am looking forward to working with the board from a strategic perspective. Fenix is a business with a fantastic potential in the UK marketplace and with an international presence with projects spanning countries across South East Asia and Australia. “I believe my background and experience in the rail sector will help the business to

expand its operations into new territories and grow organically and sustainably, to become a leading choice for signalling and equipment solutions.” Craig Purcell, managing director of Fenix Signalling, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Steve to our board as a nonexecutive director. His vast experience and track record for building key relationships make him an industry leader in rail and his commercial and management experience will be extremely beneficial to our aims of achieving sustainable growth and unlocking new opportunities in the signalling sector.”

RFG chairman Berkeley to retire Tony Berkeley has announced his plans to retire as chairman of the Rail Freight Group (RFG). Lord Berkeley will retire after the RFG annual general meeting in November and the organisation’s board of directors is now considering who will replace Tony going forward. Until then Tony will stay in the role, which includes his position as a board member of the European

Rail Freight Association and ALLRAIL. Tony Berkeley said: “It has been a privilege to have worked for RFG and its members in the rail freight sector for some 20 years but at a time when RFG, under Maggie Simpson’s leadership, is in the best possible state to take on the challenges facing the industry, it is time for me to stand aside and ensure a smooth transition with a new chair.”

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Mural unveiled in memory of Network Rail delivers £118m London Bridge Easter works package terror attacks A street artist has produced a major piece of art in memory of the London Bridge terror attacks. James Cochran, also known as Jimmy C, has previously created works of art paying tribute to David Bowie and William Shakespeare and his latest piece, which shows a series of hearts floating in space, has been painted under one of Network Rail’s arches on Stoney Street, Southwark. Jimmy said: “The terror attacks shocked everyone who loves our city. It is a great honour to be able to create a lasting image to the memory of those who lost their lives and to the resilience and spirit of London.” Network Rail’s Eddie Burton, who manages community rail projects and worked with Jimmy C on the project, added: “We’ve worked closely with Jimmy C in the past and knew he would create something beautiful for London on our arch.” On 3 June, 2017, eight people were killed when three attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge, launching a knife attacking in Borough Market afterwards.

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From Glasgow to Gidea Park, members of Team Orange’s 15,000-strong workforce put their chocolate-eating plans on hold to complete projects across Britain’s railways this Easter.

At Bristol Temple Meads, Network Rail conducted its largest-ever resignalling project, renewing lineside and station equipment and transferring signalling control to the Thames Valley Signalling Centre at Didcot Parkway, Oxfordshire. A 138-year-old bridge was replaced by a new 75-tonne structure between Clapham Junction and Putney in Wandsworth, allowing a line speed restriction to be lifted. This £5.5 million project was one of more than 400 schemes worth £118 million that were completed as part of Network

Rail’s upgrade plan over the bank holiday weekend. Elsewhere, nine switches and crossings units and four fixed pieces of track were installed at Gidea Park, east London, in what was one of the largest engineering projects in the country. Manchester Victoria was closed to allow old track to be replaced and to lower track under Cheetham Hill Road bridge as part of Manchester-Stalybridge line upgrades and London Euston was also closed for essential renewal work. Meanwhile, work continued on electrification between Edinburgh and Glasgow and the Orange Army continued work on the track, overhead line equipment and traction power at Crossrail’s portal site at Westbourne.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

NEWS

Building a bridge isn’t easy. Meticulous plans need to be sketched, materials need to be sourced and bought, engineers need to work together as a team. Then comes the most important part: the testing. School children from across the East Midlands experienced what it is like at iRail, which was organised by Rail Forum East Midlands (RFEM) at the Derby Conference Centre on March 13. Not only did the structures, which students had 90 minutes to build, have to support the weight of a small model railway train, but its supporting structures needed to be wide enough to allow for a 75cm-long load to pass underneath on a curved track - the same as the previous year’s challenge. Much like the real world, these potential engineers of the future weren’t given a blank cheque. Building materials - sticky tape, blue tack, paper, card, lollipop sticks and even a tape measure - all came at a cost, only the track on which the train sat was provided free of charge. Judges marked each of the 13 teams’ creations on how it performed against each challenge alongside how much money was spent on the bridge. One group savvily sold excess material back to the vendors, others sought to replicate real-life designs and another deemed it “not a bad loss” for wasting materials to the value of £40,000 (Not real money). None chose to spend £200,000 to test their bridge out and that was unsurprising when you realise one of the cheapest bridges cost £120,000 to build. In the end, Derby Manufacturing University

Building bridges Technical College’s (UTC) team was crowned the winner in a close-fought presentation pitch against last year’s winners, Loughborough High School. RFEM general manager Elaine Clark said: “iRail is all about raising awareness of the opportunities in the rail industry. It’s about trying to inject a bit of enthusiasm in the younger generation about working in the rail industry because people have no idea of the opportunities and the types of jobs that are available.” Porterbrook was the event’s main sponsor. Head of communications and engagement Rupert BrennanBrown added: “Porterbrook is delighted to work with Rail Forum and Learn by Design on the biggest iRail ever. It covers the whole of the Midlands Engine, with events in Derby, Birmingham and Crewe. A fantastic opportunity to get young people involved in engineering. “Some of the designs are better than I’ve seen on the big railways. It was brilliant to see how innovative the kids could be in a short space of time.” Now in its ninth year, iRail 2018 continues later this year with events in Birmingham and Crewe. The winner from each will go head-to-head in a grand final. By giving the opportunity for small six-person teams of young men and women to design, procure, construct and build bridges iRail emphasised that, with a little guidance, a career in the railway is within reach for all.

Employee of the year award for ticket office supervisor A Greater Anglia ticket office supervisor has been awarded Abellio’s ‘Employee of the Year’ accolade. Laura Englestone stood out from Abellio’s 13,000-strong workforce for raising thousands of pounds for charity and organising events for customers. Abellio, which owns 60 per cent of Greater Anglia, is the international arm of Dutch national operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen and operates train, tram and bus services in London, Liverpool, Scotland and Germany. But it was on the coast of East Anglia at Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft stations that the company identified its top employee. Judges praised Laura, who works across the two stations, for her enthusiasm, energy and the high level of care she gives to customers and colleagues. She said: “On the night I was completely shocked to have won in the live international vote as all the finalists were absolutely brilliant. “I felt so proud and honoured to have won. I work alongside some great people and this award is as much for them as it is for me.”

Kamelia Lazarova, Jodie Bath, Richard Walton and Paul Morris, the team behind the rollout of Greater Anglia’s smart cards, were named Abellio’s ‘Team of the Year’ at the same awards ceremony. Greater Anglia managing direct James Burles said: “I am delighted that Laura and the smart team have been recognised for their important contribution which has brought benefits to the business and customers. “Recognising individuals and teams at a group level through the Abellio Achievement Awards will help to further drive a culture of excellence in everything we do and demonstrates the dedication and commitment of all our staff to provide excellent service and performance to our customers.”

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NEWS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

Go-ahead for light rail apprenticeship An apprenticeship specialising in the construction of tram networks could be launched as early as 2019. Led by the Midland Metro Alliance (MMA), the UK’s light rail industry has been given the green light from the Institute for Apprenticeships to develop the employer-led apprenticeship. MMA director Alejandro Moreno said that the tram sector is experiencing a period of expansion and that apprenticeships will help to secure the sector’s future talent. Work will begin shortly to develop the standard and employers and key stakeholders will be consulted to help influence the programme. Midland Metro Alliance development

manager Rose Rees said: “Input from employers across the industry is crucial to ensure that the new apprenticeship will cover all of the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to undertake tramway construction and renewal activities in complex, everchanging urban environments.” Once the scheme has been agreed, employers could start to train the first apprentices early next year. The Midland Metro Alliance is a consortium of firms that have signed a long-term framework agreement to design and construct future expansions to the Midland Metro. As well as the West Midlands Combined Authority, the consortium consists of: Egis, Tony Gee, Pell Frischmann, Colas Rail, Barhale, Bouygues UK and Auctus Management Group.

GWR picks up Oscar An artificial leg, pets and a clarinet; some of the most unusual items that have been left onboard train services in the UK. Producer Gareth Ellis-Unwin trumped the lot when he stepped off a GWR train without his Oscar in February. After travelling from London to Didcot Parkway, Oxfordshire, the award-winning producer realised he’d left the train without his briefcase which had the golden statuette inside. “Mad panic” and multiple phone calls to lost property followed and after a threehour ordeal, Gareth - who picked up the award for the hit film The King’s Speech in 2011 - accepted the Oscar for the second time. He later said he’d had a “bit of an evening” and tweeted his thanks to GWR. GWR also tweeted, writing: “We were delighted to be able to re-unite [Gareth Ellis-Unwin] with his Oscar which was left on our train. No hesitation or stuttering on our part for The King’s Speech producer!”

Grand Central to refurbish Adelantes Operator Grand Central has unveiled the first of 10 revamped Adelante trains as part of a £9 million refurbishment programme. The scheme includes a full interior refresh, new seats with leather edging in standard class, new floor covering throughout, exterior and interior repaint, upgraded catering facilities, refitted toilet facilities with disabled access and baby changing facilities. LED lighting and power sockets will also be installed. Five newly acquired trains from Great Western Railway are included in the programme, which will continue throughout 2018. Grand Central managing director Richard McClean

said: “I’m sure passengers using this train will enjoy travelling Grand Central in greater comfort, in smart surroundings and with enhanced on-board facilities. “We pride ourselves on listening to our passengers and taking on board their feedback. They’ve told us what is most important to them, and that’s why we’re investing £9million to improve the comfort and reliability of our entire fleet and services.”

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20/10/2015 09:25

Ashford welcomes first Eurostar e320

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

Eurostar’s new e320 fleet of high-speed trains has called at Ashford International station for the first time. Arriving at 2.55pm on its way to Paris, the Eurostar e320 was able to stop at Ashford thanks to the completion of a £10 million project to install new signalling equipment and modify the station’s platforms. The milestone came a day before the high-speed operator launched its direct Amsterdam service. The project was delivered by Network Rail and funded from the South East Local Enterprise Partnership through the Local Growth Fund.

NEWS

Network Rail route managing director in the South East, John Halsall, said: “This project is a perfect example of how the railway can play a strong role in the continuing economic development of the South East. “Our partners have put their faith and investment in the industry to deliver this project, which will future-proof the town’s station and preserve its status as part of Europe’s high-speed network. “High-speed rail and links to Europe have given Ashford a huge boost over the past 22 years and we are pleased to be working with Eurostar and local authorities to keep that going.”

Time to tackle 'outdated ScotRail Alliance 1950's stereotypes' smashes MND target

Dyan Crowther, chief executive of HS1 Ltd, has stressed the importance of tackling the industry’s “outdated 1950’s stereotypes” as it seeks to recruit the next generation of workers. Dyan was part of an allfemale panel of leading industry figures who called for: an overhaul of the sector’s image of antisocial working; greater support for women; and to encourage greater interest in

STEM learning from a younger age, to make the workforce better reflect society. Speaking at the Rail Women event, which was held at St Pancras International on International Women’s Day, Dyan added: “Without women, the workforce is missing half its potential. “This is a fantastic sector with a huge variety of roles. We need to do a better job at making young people aware that a career in rail doesn’t necessarily mean hard hats, orange jackets and manual labour.” Currently women make up less than a fifth of the UK’s rail workforce and with the sector facing a looming skills crisis, targeted action to recruit and retain the next generation of workers is needed, especially to expand the pool to include more women and diverse candidates. Dyan was part of a panel of six leading women from across the sector, including: Hitachi Rail Europe deputy HR director Claire Magee; former Network Rail chief engineer Jane Simpson; Betchel project manager Nisrine Chartouny; National College for High Speed rail chair Alison Munro; and Women in Rail founder Adeline Ginn.

The ScotRail Alliance has raised more than £71,000 for a Motor Neurone Disease (MND) charity, passing its fundraising target for the year. On Easter Sunday, the alliance celebrated the first anniversary of its partnership with MND Scotland. The partnership aimed to raise £50,000 in each year of its threeyear agreement to support the charity’s work to find a cure for the disease. Staff took part in sponsored skydives and abseiled from the Forth Rail Bridge to raise money. Collections were also held at stations and the charity was given free advertising space on trains and at stations. Angus Thom, ScotRail’s chief operating officer, said: “The work that MND Scotland does for patients and their families, and their research into a cure, is just fantastic. We’ve had a brilliant first year supporting MND Scotland as our charity partner. “To have raised £71,000 and surpassed our fundraising target is a great result. I’d like to thank our customers and employees for their exceptional generosity.” Craig Stockton, chief executive of MND Scotland, said: “I’m thrilled that our ‘Journey to a

Cure’ with the ScotRail Alliance has been such a huge success in the first year of our partnership. “The commitment of the ScotRail Alliance’s people over the past year has been amazing. ScotRail employees have thrown themselves out of planes, hotfooted it across fiery coals, and rattled buckets across Scotland’s rail network, to help us raise the profile of Motor Neurone Disease. “Every penny of the incredible £71,000 they have helped raise so far will go towards funding care, information, and support services for people affected by MND in Scotland, as well as funding cutting-edge research into a cure. “I can’t wait to see what we achieve together in the year ahead.”

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TRACK SAFETY

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

REPORT BY MARC JOHNSON

RISKS AROUND E STRAY RAILS, STRANDED TRAINS AND EXPLOSIONS - THE CERTAIN UNCERTAINTY OF RAILWAY SAFETY

he sheer variety of incidents highlighted in recent RAIB reports are a reminder of what a dangerous place the railway can be. Frustrated passengers in Lewisham put their lives at risk by stepping out onto a railway with a live third rail, but the circumstances surrounding the incident have raised many more questions about communication and procedure. Another report published in March pointed to systemic problems in the industry’s ability to hand the railway back safely following infrastructure works. Britain’s rail network has been able to boast a strong safety record over the past few years, but it only takes a small change in circumstance for near misses to become more serious incidents and the record is in jeopardy if lessons aren’t learnt.

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Urgent safety advice Rail accident investigators have raised serious safety concerns after a train near Inverness struck a 130-metre length of rail that had been left on the track following engineering works. At 09.47 on 25 February, a Virgin Trains passenger train travelling from Inverness to London struck the end of a rail that had been left on the up line at Cradlehall. The train hit the rail at 53 mph (85 km/h) and pushed it into the cess, managing not to derail in the process. The rail had been moved from the cess on the opposite side of the line during engineering works the previous night. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) said: “Network Rail has company standards that require that, on completion of engineering work, a nominated competent authorised person must undertake an inspection of the track to confirm that it is

safe for trains to travel over at the authorised speed. It is not yet clear why this requirement was not effective on this occasion.”

Handed back in unsafe condition

Network Rail has been issued with “urgent safety advice” by the RAIB, which said there had been a number of incidents over the last four years where lines had been handed back in an unsafe condition. RAIB also cited a train striking a cabinet door in Watford tunnel in 2014 and a passenger train hitting a wooden sleeper near Somerleyton, Suffolk, in 2015. “In light of these incidents, and given the serious nature of the most recent incident, the RAIB advises Network Rail to take urgent steps to review the effectiveness of the steps it has already taken to address this risk, and to implement any additional measures that are required to ensure the safety of the line following engineering works.” ScotRail Alliance managing director Alex Hynes added: “We launched a full investigation after this incident and have taken immediate steps to highlight the seriousness to all our employees. Those staff involved directly in the incident are currently not working in front line roles, while they assist with the investigation.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

TRACK SAFETY

EVERY CORNER “We have emphasised to our track maintenance teams the importance of thoroughly inspecting all completed work before any trains are allowed to run and are reviewing how we manage this type of maintenance work. “The safety of our customers should never be put at risk. We are learning from this incident and putting additional measures in place to prevent a similar incident occurring in Scotland in the future.”

Serious stranding events RAIB published the details of its ongoing investigation into the stranding of trains and selfdetrainments in March, when passengers on trains outside Lewisham station were stuck on board for several hours because of ice on a conductor rail. The issues began at 17.30 on 2 March, when the delayed 15.56 Southeastern service from London Charing Cross to

Dartford experienced difficulty pulling away from Platform 4 at Lewisham because the third rail was iced over. The knock-on effect of this meant the train behind it - the 16.26 Southeastern service from London Charing Cross to Dartford - was held at a red signal on the approach to Lewisham and the train behind that - the 17.06 Southeastern service from London Charing Cross to Orpington - was held at a red signal between Tanners Hill junction and Lewisham Vale junction. As a result, four trains going out of London and two trains into London were stopped on the fast lines and two more trains were held on slow lines in St Johns and Lewisham stations. Network Rail staff arrived at Lewisham at 18.30 to help staff at the station to clear the ice from the conductor rail and preparations were being made to locally isolate the power to allow de-icing work to begin.

Emergency call

Before the power was switched off, the signaller sought permission to allow the 16.26 service to pass the red signal into Platform 4 so passengers could disembark. As they were doing this, they received an emergency call from the driver of the train to say that several passengers had opened the doors and detrained onto the tracks. At this point, the signaller asked the electrical control operator to switch off the

power to the conductor rail. Evidence collected by the RAIB indicates that although rail staff and members of the emergency services tried to persuade passengers to re-board the train or to get clear of the track, passengers continued to disembark the stranded trains. A controlled evacuation eventually took place between 20.00 and 20.45. Power was then restored at 21.36 when staff had confirmed there were no

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TRACK SAFETY

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

passengers still on the track. The RAIB’s investigation will look at the arrangements that are in place for cold weather conditions, the process used to deal with stranded trains, how well passengers were kept informed, how the process of evacuating and recovering railway operations was managed and the high level management of the incident by Network Rail and Southeastern. The investigation will also look into other “serious stranding events” that occurred around the network during the extreme wintry weather. The ORR is conducting a separate investigation into the incident.

Near miss double

At the end of March, the RAIB announced the launch of preliminary investigations into two seperate near-miss incidents where rail staff narrowly avoided being hit by passenger trains. At 10.50 on 21 February this year, two track workers on the Tyne & Wear Metro were involved in a near miss at a junction south of Pelaw station. While investigating a track circuit fault, the two workers moved onto the track out of the way of a train travelling from Newcastle towards South Shields. As a result, they stepped into the path of a westbound train approaching Pelaw from South Shields. The train was travelling at 37 mph (60 km/h) and the driver applied the emergency brake when he saw the workers. The RAIB’s initial assessment said the workers only managed to move out of the way around two seconds before the train passed through. The RAIB’s investigation will look at the Tyne & Wear Metro’s procedures and competence regime for track workers, the application of procedures in planning work to identify track circuit faults, other similar incidents and any underlying management factors. The second incident occurred less than two weeks later in the afternoon of 2 March when the driver of a stationary train at Stafford station was almost struck by a train travelling at 85 mph (137 km/h). The driver of the southbound train was between the up and down Stafford fast lines attending to a train brake fault when the Virgin service passed through the station

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at speed. The RAIB has carried out a preliminary investigation and plans to publish its findings in the coming weeks.

Flying debris

Several recommendations have been made after an explosion in underframe equipment on a train at Guildford station sent debris flying across the station and into a staff car park some 70 metres away. One of the pieces of debris

generated following a failure within a large electrical capacitor. The DC traction equipment in the Class 455 had recently been upgraded to AC and the explosion was attributed to a manufacturing defect in a capacitor winding. The RAIB suggested that the risk of explosion caused by a defective capacitor hadn’t been adequately considered during the design and installation phase. It also suggested that high temperatures on the day could have played a small role.

Damaged capacitor.

found on a neighbouring platform weighed 22 kg. Fortunately, no one was injured but the explosion did cause damage to the train and station furniture. The 14.37 Guildford to London Waterloo service was about to depart Platform 2 on 7 July when the explosion occurred - caused by a build up of flammable gases within a traction equipment case under one of the coaches. The report found that the gases had been

TOCs urged to check fleets Following the investigation, RAIB has recommended that train operators and suppliers review the design of their electric traction systems to ensure there are safeguards in place to prevent similar explosions. The accident investigation authority has also published six ‘learning points’ relating to project risk management, the need for thorough investigations following technical failures, ensuring that accurate and complete records of serious failures are maintained, and ensuring that procurement specifications for future rolling stock take into account the investigation’s findings. The report indicated that the manufacturer of the capacitor has since addressed the failure which led to the explosion at Guildford and pressure switches have now been fitted to the Class 455s which detect any gas build-up and shut down the traction system. South Western Railway and Kiepe have also confirmed that the capacitors which are being installed as part of the Class 442 upgrades will also be fitted with pressure switches.

INTERVIEWS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

A PLAN FOR CP6

MARC JOHNSON SAT DOWN WITH MARK CARNE TO REFLECT ON HIS CAREER, CP6 AND WHY NETWORK RAIL WON'T STOP DELIVERING BIG, EXCITING PROJECTS

ark Carne says he’s going to miss heading up Britain’s rail infrastructure manager. In February, he presented a £47 billion plan for CP6 which will focus on investment in maintenance and renewals to improve reliability for a growing network. It is a plan Mark is extremely proud of, but he won’t be the one to deliver it. A couple of months ago, Mark announced his retirement and the search for his successor is underway. Now is the natural time to leave, he said. “It’s been a huge privilege to lead this amazing organisation over the last few years,” said Mark, sat behind a few framed mementos of his proudest moments in charge, including photos

of the reconstructed sea wall at Dawlish and Reading station - the first of several major station redevelopment schemes delivered during his time in charge. We’re sat in Mark’s temporary office opposite Waterloo station. His regular office is being refurbished - not that he’s there that often. As chief exec, Mark spends most of his time travelling around the network, visiting different parts of the business in various parts of the country. He described what it was like leaving the oil and gas industry to join Network Rail in 2013. “There’s no doubt the first couple of years were really challenging, coming into the control period as a declassified company, but over the last couple of years we’ve really seen the benefits of our strategy coming to fruition and real improvements in the company and the performance.”

The reclassification of Network Rail meant the organisation was suddenly unable to access the debt it previously had been able to. Put simply it didn’t have enough money to fund the programme ahead of it. “And that was evident really from the first weeks of the control period,” said Mark. “You almost knew right from the get go that this was going to be a big problem but the scale of that I think only really emerged in the first year or so, and I look back on that as a pretty tough time.”

SUCCESS STORIES Despite the challenges, there have been many highlights. Mark praised his team and went on to list some of the achievements he is particularly proud of. Since the start of CP5, train accident risk has been reduced by more than 35 per cent and the number of RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

INTERVIEWS

MAINTENANCE AND RENEWALS

people who are hurt on the railway has fallen by 37 per cent. A common theme of Mark’s tenure has been the link between safety and business performance. “They’re not in conflict and the best companies deliver great performance and great safety performance,” said Mark. “But it’s still the case that too many people get hurt in our industry and it’s still the case that people lose their lives at level crossings and that we have occasional very serious train near misses, so we’ve still got a long way to go in my view to really deliver the kind of safety culture that the industry as a whole needs. “But I think we are making great progress, and I think we’ve got real ambitious plans for

the future and I think I’ve got a team that will really carry this culture forward.” Contractors are told if they can’t work safely, they can’t work for Network Rail. The figures would suggest that the supply chain has taken this message to heart. “I would like to thank the contracting community because I think they embraced this message almost faster than Network Rail did. There have been really significant improvements in contractor workforce safety over the last four years. If you look at their safety performance trajectory compared to Network Rail’s performance improvement, the contractor market has improved faster than we have.”

A relatively small amount has been allocated to enhancement projects in CP6. The strategic business plan includes £18.5 billion for operations and maintenance - 25 per cent more than in CP5, £18.5 billion for renewals and £10.1 billion for enhancements. Over the past few years, Network Rail has been responsible for iconic infrastructure projects like Birmingham New Street, London Bridge and Ordsall Chord, but its delivery record in CP5 hasn’t been spotless. “We’ve achieved a huge amount together, and I think we’ve created this plan for CP6 that I’m really confident we’ll deliver,” said Mark, who openly admits that the challenges faced in CP5 were the result of having too many immature projects that couldn’t be accurately costed coming into the control period. Network Rail has indicated that it won’t pursue any new enhancement projects in the first couple of years of the new control period, but it doesn’t mean Network Rail is out of the business of building game-changing infrastructure. FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.UK

INTERVIEWS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

“I think we will still want to do those big and exciting projects but the funding mechanism is just different today. I don’t think people should look at CP6 and say ‘oh yeah there are no big projects anymore’ because the whole principle is that we will develop new ideas and new projects, and when those projects are mature we will then seek funding and if we get the funding then we’ll deliver them.”

THE BEST JOB THERE IS Mark said he doesn’t have any immediate plans for his retirement, although he is looking

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forward to having some time to himself and some time with his family. However, he is open to opportunities which will allow him to stay in touch with an industry he’s come to love. As Mark puts it, he’s unlikely to become a “pipe and slippers person”. It is the people he will miss most, he said, and he enjoys the job more today than at any other point. “Of course I’m going to miss it,” said Mark. “It’s quite a difficult time in a way for me now because I’m not going to ease off. I’m going to be one of these people who runs

absolutely to the last hour…. but I will miss it because it gets in your bloodstream. Anybody who works in the rail industry knows that it becomes a really important part of you.” He added: “But I have to be responsible for the way the company operates and the fiveyear funding periods put a certain window on these sorts of moves and I think it’s the right thing to do to allow the person whose going to lead the organisation for the next five years to be in the seat before that period starts. Now is the right time to start the hunt for my successor.” What words of advice does he have for his successor? “Probably everybody knows that this is quite a challenging role. You need to be resilient. Resilience is probably the number one ingredient you have to have because when you’re in this job there’s a huge number of people who are constantly going to be criticising you or your organisation. “So you have to be able to get up each morning, look yourself in the mirror if you like and say are you making a difference, are you making it better. If the answer to that is yes then that has to be enough satisfaction to keep you motivated and going because there is such a lot of negativity in the media and the political world around rail as a whole, but it’s the most amazing job. If you’re an engineer and you’re driven to want to make a difference, I think this is the best job there is.”

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THURSDAY 7 JUNE 2018 – THE VOX BIRMINGHAM

INTERVIEWS

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VIRGIN'S

PEOPLE PERS N

atasha Grice said it’s the romance of rail travel that she’s drawn to. “I just love to think that people are travelling for so many different reasons,” said Virgin Trains’ new people director. “I absolutely love working with the general public and hearing people’s stories.” Birmingham native Natasha will become the people executive director for the West Coast on 16 April, taking over from Patrick McGrath who has held the role for 18 years. A few weeks before she was due to take over, Natasha spoke to RailStaff about her career at Virgin and how she hopes to bring a new approach to Virgin Trains’ people strategy.

CAN’T WAIT

Natasha, 42, joined Virgin Trains 16 years ago as a customer service assistant. She was one of a team of 20 who greeted CrossCountry services into Birmingham New Street. “You got to see a bit of everything working in one of the major hubs on the network,” said Natasha. Her career at Virgin actually began five years earlier when she joined Virgin Atlantic’s cabin crew. Her decision to leave the airline was prompted, in part, by the September 11th terror attacks but also by a desire to be at home to start a family. She progressed through the business to become a duty manager

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in customer relations and then a station manager at Birmingham New Street. She later managed Virgin’s Wolverhampton depot before becoming head of brand and head of talent and employee engagement. In 2011, she took up a specially created position to coordinate the operator’s preparations for London 2012. Most recently, Natasha was the general manager for Virgin’s West Midlands to London route, overseeing more than 1,000 members of staff in the region. “When the opportunity came up, I absolutely had to throw my hat in the ring,” said Natasha, who is now responsible for more than 3,500 employees along the WCML route. She added: “The role is so varied, it’s so exciting. I can’t wait to be part of it.”

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

INTERVIEWS

SON NEW APPROACH

Virgin has people directors for both its West Coast and East Coast operations. They look after recruitment, retirement and everything in between, said Natasha. Although she feels Virgin is already strong at recruiting and retaining staff, Natasha thinks now is the time to try something new. “We’ve done things in a similar way for quite some time,” said Natasha. “I think there’s an opportunity to look at things differently.” Technology, particularly around ticketing, is an area she feels needs addressing. Virgin Trains launched its smartphone tickets in the summer of 2016 and, over the next 12 months, the company saw its sales of digital tickets treble. In 2016, Virgin launched its ‘station of the future’ project at Birmingham International, closing the ticket office and replacing it with a

welcome desk and additional ticket machines. The company needs to have an adult conversation with staff, she said, about what new technology will mean for their role. Natasha explained how the company was talking about staff “coming from behind the glass” to help customers. “We just need to keep up in the retailing space to keep up with customer demand… Our people are very much part of that not replaced by it.” She went on: “Change is inevitable that’s one thing we can be certain of… Sometimes we’ve tried to protect a little bit too much and that’s not particularly helpful either.”

SENSE OF FAMILY In one of her previous roles, Natasha led the development of Virgin’s Talent Academy. Ensuring all staff have the opportunity to progress through the business is something

she wants to maintain and improve in the future. “We are very, very passionate about encouraging people to work their way through the ranks through the business.” Natasha, a mum-of-two, said there is a strong sense of family throughout the company, something she felt was clear as colleagues at the Wolverhampton depot were transferred over to West Midlands Railway. Recognising and rewarding staff who are passionate about their role is critical, said Natasha. Where companies make a financial investment in their staff, employees often invest their lives in a business.

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COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

BRANCHING OU STOBART RAIL & CIVILS’ MANAGING DIRECTOR LOOKS TOWARDS CP6 AND EXPLAINS WHY THE COMPANY IS BARKING UP THE RIGHT TREE WITH ITS LATEST VENTURE

tobart Rail & Civils was founded in 1993 as WA Developments and, since then, has grown by providing its clients with cost-effective and innovative solutions to the many engineering challenges faced by the rail civil engineering industry. Operating alongside this core engineering capability, the wider Stobart business now includes an energy division, which is the number one biomass supplier in the UK. It has an aviation division, which owns and operates London Southend and Carlisle Lake District Airports, and its own airline, Stobart Air. Stobart is also the nation’s only railway station operator which isn’t either Network Rail or a train operating company.

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STRENGTH AND DEPTH In the last 25 years, the business has established itself amongst Network Rail’s principal contractors and is preparing for another busy control period. “The start of a new control period is always a time of change, with exciting new portfolios of work amounting to billions of pounds of vital investment,” said Kirk Taylor, managing director of Stobart Rail & Civils. “We’re looking forward to it. It’s always a challenge, of course, but that’s what we thrive on.” Going into CP6, Stobart is already hard at work delivering several long-term frameworks with Network Rail and is also one of the partners delivering the Transpennine upgrade - the £10 billion investment that will revolutionise rail travel in the North with faster journeys and greater capacity.

Stobart’s business diversity is a strategic consideration and the culture it embraces has enabled it to respond to the sometimes challenging market conditions. “You’ve got to have strength and depth,” said Kirk. “Our leadership is constantly looking to the future and we invest heavily in R&D to find innovative solutions that help our clients achieve their objectives with unprecedented quality and value for money.” A good example of this is Stobart Rail & Civils’ forestry business, which was set up two years ago. “We were already building a capability to provide lineside vegetation management for Network Rail, but we saw an under-utilised resource in the green material that was created.” said Kirk. “With the synergy of our biomass business, we’re now recycling this by-product to enhance Network Rail’s sustainability and deliver the best possible value.” Building on this success, Stobart Forestry is now unlocking the potential of undermanaged woodland throughout the UK by using an in-house developed technology solution to quickly survey and identify brash material (foliage and small branches accumulating on the ground) that would otherwise go to waste. By harvesting this for biomass fuel Stobart is creating value for landowners and making a major contribution to the UK’s green energy capability.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

COMPANY FOCUS

SUPPORTED BY

THINK SAFETY, ACT SAFELY

Stobart Rail & Civils is already aligning its business to match Network Rail’s targets for CP6. Plant innovation is a key area where the business is pushing boundaries, having invested in designing and manufacturing new equipment to improve track maintenance capability and reduce whole-life costs. Industry-leading innovations, including ballast undercutters, self-contained jacker tamper units and tunnel soot removal machines, are out working every day across the network to complete tasks more safely and more cost effectively than ever before. Promoting a positive safety culture throughout the industry is another target where Stobart and Network Rail share a deep-rooted commitment. In 2016, Stobart Rail launched its ‘Think Safety, Act Safely’ initiative - a colourful safety campaign that conveyed important health and safety messages through a selection of animated characters placed in many common situations encountered while working on the railway. “We already had a great health and safety performance, but from talking to our teams at the workface it was clear that there were things we could do even better. Our ‘Think Safety, Act Safely’ campaign helps focus attention on improving the way we all look at safety and how we relate to our personal

responsibility for ourselves and those around us,” said Kirk. “It’s gone really well. All the businesses that we work with really love it and have taken to it massively. “It’s not just about health and safety, it’s thinking about what it’s like out there, working at night away from home, away from your family.”

FAMILY BUSINESS “Many of us have grown and developed in the business,” said Kirk, who joined Stobart in the late 1990s as a plant operator. Around 270 people now work for Stobart Rail & Civils. The business has what it calls its 3P (People, Performance, Progress) management and leadership development

programmes which ensures staff are given the opportunity and support they need to fulfil their ambitions within the business. Kirk said it was important for him that staff felt it was possible to start on the shop floor and progress into any role at any level that their talents and ambition allow. Despite undergoing some considerable changes over the decades, Kirk said it still has that family business mentality. “I’m extremely proud of the way we’ve grown the business and extremely proud of the way we’ve been able to carry through a number of people that originally started the business with us. “It shows it’s a really good business and a nice place to work.” FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.UK

COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

WHY AREN'T MORE COMPANIES

CLAIMING R&D TAX CREDITS?

REPORT BY R & D CONSULTING

esearch & Development (R&D) Tax Credits can be a real benefit for qualifying companies. First introduced by the Government in 2000, they have provided over £6 billion in benefit to UK companies in the form of corporation tax reductions, repayments and even cash payments to loss-making companies. So why aren’t more companies taking advantage of this generous relief? We hear a lot of the following from company owners when we first meet them: “This is just what we do, it can’t qualify”, “But we only work on customers’ projects”, and “HMRC don’t like giving money away”. These are all common misconceptions. Any limited company can apply for R&D Tax Credits as long as they are undertaking research and development work to overcome a scientific or technological uncertainty. Understanding what this means can be a challenge but, in general terms, it applies to projects where the desired outcome may not be achievable. To assess this, research, testing and trialling needs to be carried out and there must be a genuine possibility that the project may fail and that associated expenses may not be recoverable.

QUALIFYING ACTIVITIES The first part of our process is a no-obligation call to assess whether there is the potential for an R&D claim. While there are times when

we advise companies that they are unlikely to be undertaking qualifying activities, the majority of the time we find there is something worth exploring. We also hear “My accountants would tell me if we qualified for R&D Tax Credits, wouldn’t they?” Again, this is true in some circumstances, but while a lot of accountants are experts at the numbers side of an R&D claim, they can often struggle when it comes to identifying the type of work and projects which can qualify. We have built our business through establishing relationships with accountancy firms and working with them to identify where their clients could be missing out. Many believe that although they are undertaking qualifying activities, as they are loss making © iStockphoto.com

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and have no corporation tax to pay, they cannot make a claim. Loss-making companies can benefit from R&D Tax Credits and in such circumstances there is the option to surrender losses for a cash payment, injecting muchneeded funding into companies which may otherwise struggle to move forward with their projects.

TWO-YEAR LIMIT Finally, some companies would like to explore R&D Tax Credits but keep putting it off, unaware that there is a two-year time limit from a period end in which to submit a claim. With the average R&D claim creating a benefit of around £50,000, UK companies could be missing out on millions of pounds of corporation tax relief. If you think R&D Tax Credits may be an option for you then please get in touch and we can tell you pretty quickly if it’s worth investigating further. We will be exhibiting at Infrarail for the first time this year so, if you are there, pop along to stand A71 and we can answer any questions you may have about R&D Tax Credits.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

COMPANY FOCUS

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EVENTS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

MEET THE INDUSTRY AT INFRARAIL 2018

ransport Secretary Chris Grayling will no doubt be promoting the opportunities CP6 will bring rail suppliers as he delivers the opening keynote of Infrarail 2018. Grayling, who is coming to the end of his second year in the post, will follow Network Rail's chief engineer, Jon Shaw, who will open the three-day show at the ExCeL exhibition centre on 1 May. Launched in 1994, Infrarail has been the leading show for infrastructure technology and services for more than 20 years. Held biennially, the show is organised by Mack Brooks Exhibitions which also runs Railtex in the UK as well as international shows including EXPO Ferroviaria in Italy, SIFER in France and ExpoRail in both India and China. Infrarail 2016 had 240 exhibitors from 51 different countries, with around 5,300 industry professionals in attendance. More than 200 companies will be displaying their latest offering at this year’s event.

PACKED SCHEDULE It will be the second time the show has been hosted at ExCeL, which is located in London’s historic Royal Docks. Supporting organisations this year include Network Rail, RIA, Rail Alliance, Crossrail, IMechE, HS2, Midlands Engine Rail, Digital Railway and the Rail Supply Group. Expert speakers will deliver presentations at the two conference areas: the Seminar Theatre, hosted by Rail Engineer; and the Knowledge Hub. Speakers will include David Waboso and Paul Plummer, as well as representatives from companies such as Siemens, Fugro, Cubis and British Steel.

CPD ACCREDITED For the first time ever, visitors who attend the conference sessions will be able to claim points towards their Continuing Professional

Development thanks to a new partnership between Infrarail and the CPD Certification Service. Anyone who attends any of the keynote speeches, project updates or technical seminars will build up CPD hours which can then be put towards their annual CPD obligations. Kirsten Whitehouse, exhibition manager for Infrarail 2018, said: “During this landmark period of investment in the UK rail network, and with major projects under HS2, CP6, East West Rail, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the TransPennine upgrade in preparation, it is the perfect opportunity to attend Infrarail, make connections, showcase and get to know the latest products and services and the people that deliver them. “Infrarail has a very strong reputation and is firmly established as a must-attend event for everyone in the industry. It is a genuine highlight in the rail sector’s calendar.” Kirsten added: “We remain in an era of high investment and modernisation that will enhance performance and prepare the industry for the future demands put on it. These are challenging times and Infrarail helps exhibiting companies and visitors to build partnerships and chart a way forward together.”

CITE HUB Suppliers of specialist products and services for the civil infrastructure technology sector will be exhibiting within a dedicated area of the show known as the CITE (Civil Infrastructure & Technology Exhibits) Hub, which is open to all Infrarail 2018 visitors. Participating companies include Bigorre Ingenierie, Blok N Mesh UK, CEEQUAL, Chauvin Arnoux, Dieselec Thistle Generators, Freyssinet, iLine Technologies, Channeline International, Maccaferri, Megger, Mixamate and Osprey. Registration to attend is free until 30 April after which tickets will cost £20. To book your place visit: www.infrarail.com/2018

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SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT!

www.rail-media.com

DISCOVER NEW AND EXCITING THINGS AT RAIL MEDIA SEE US ON STAND

H18

LEARN MORE AT THE TECHNICAL SEMINARS ON STAND A61 FROM

WIN BIG VISIT THE STAND FOR A CHANCE TO WIN TICKETS TO THIS YEARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S AWARDS

Engineer

NEWS RailStaff Magazine Rail Engineer Magazine Global Rail News RECRUITMENT Railway People SERVICES Rail Creative

EVENTS RAILSUMMITS Rail Asset Management Summit Rail Technology Summit Rail Safety Summit RAIL EXPOS Railworx

RAIL ROADSHOWS Rail Procurement Roadshow RAIL AWARDS Rail Partnership Awards RailStaff Awards RAILSPORT GAMES

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EVENTS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

Infrarail 2018 Venue: ExCeL London, UK, Hall Entrance S4/S5 Dates: 1 - 3 May 2018 Show website: www.infrarail.com/2018 Contact: infrarail@mackbrooks.co.uk

Opening times:

Tuesday 1 May 10:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 2 May 10:00 - 17:00 Thursday 3 May 10:00 - 16:00

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RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

EVENTS

A-Plant Rail E11 Goliath Footwear A54 Osprey Heavy Lift G70 AATi Rail D50 Gramm Barrier Systems H19 Pace Networks E18 ABG Geosynthetics C67 GrayBar G40 Panasonic Toughbook D16 F02 Panduit Europe G37 Acal BFi (UK) E56 Gumflex Access Design & Engineering F47 Had -Fab F03 Passcomm B50 Advanced Resource Managers H30 Hammond ECS F51 PcP Gratings B11 AEG Power Solutions C16 Harris Geospatial Solutions C64 Permanent Way Institution C20 H34 Platipus Anchors F63 AEI Cables F36 Harsco Rail C60 Portwest Clothing Ambersil (CRC UK) A31 HellermannTyton K30 G31 Prysmian Group Anamet Europe G46 Henry Williams D37 C30 PULSAR ® Anderton Concrete Products C61 Hexagon A11 F41 R&M Electrical Group C55 Aqua Fabrications F31 High Motive ArcelorMittal Europe F15 High Speed Two (HS2) F19 Rail Baltica C15 H41 Rail Delivery Group K54 Barrett Steel Tubes F17 Hilti Bigorre Ingénierie F71 Hodge Clemco K16 Rail Industry Supplier A18 Qualification Scheme G11 Blok N Mesh UK F60 Holmatro H18 BMT A74 Hurley Palmer Flatt K10 Rail Media C66 Rail Supply Group K56 Bott B61 Hydro G02 British Steel C45 Hytorc Unex C65 Railmetrics Cable Services Group K18 iLECSYS Rail D66 Railway Industry Association C07 Research & Development Consulting A71 Ceequal E71 iLine Technologies/ G60 Cembre E51 Channeline International G61 Rexel UK D11 Chauvin Arnoux UK G64 Industrial Communication Products A64 Rittal D51 City Electrical Factors K02 Infrarail Recruitment Wall F66 Rosehill Rail D34 Clarity Visual Management H45 Instarmac Group plc A37 Roxtec Rullion K36 Cleshar B30 Institution of Engineering & CMP Products F55 Technology (The IET) A70 Santon Switchgear A30 C37 Schweizer Electronic H11 Coaching for Change G20 Interclamp G36 Concrete Canvas B54 Ixthus Instrumentation A50 Schwihag CUBIS Systems B18 Jafco Tools C11 Scott Parnell E31 Dantherm Group H57 Kee Systems C10 SEKISUI Chemical B51 Diamond Point International (Europe) B02 Keyline Civils & Drainage E70 SelectraVision A66 Dieselec Thistle Generators F64 KM&T D57 Selkent Fastenings B21 Direct Track Solutions F30 Land Sheriffs H31 Shay Murtagh Precast H47 dormakaba A55 Lindapter International C41 Signature Aromas K40 Dura Composites C70 LINSINGER Maschinenbau E10 Silver Fox E74 DW Windsor D70 Lockinex (UK) F11 Snap-on Industrial G50 edilon)(sedra Group B15 Low & Bonar Hull H36 Socomec - Innovative Power Solutions D31 Ellis Patents H50 Mabey D19 Sperry Rail International B36 Emerson Crane Hire G16 Maccaferri E67 Supertouch K44 Emtelle H10 Marshalls CPM B55 TELE-FONIKA Kable G54 Erlau G57 Megger H61 Telice K46 ETAP K34 Midlands Engine Rail / Terram E03 European Springs & Pressings C54 Warwickshire County Council H60 The CPD Certification Service F65 Flamefast (UK) H37 Minova UK A15 Traka ASSA ABLOY B37 Fleda Trading A14 Mixamate A46 Tratos F50 Flexicon G51 Movax B31 Ultra Electronics PMES G55 Freyssinet E75 MPI C51 Unipart Rail G30 Fugro A19 MRL Eye F37 Variable Message Signs E30 GAP Hire Solutions F54 Murphy Surveys A34 Viper Innovations D18 Garic B67 National College for Visul Systems B70 GB Sign Solutions H17 High Speed Rail H55 Vp plc TPA Rapid Rail Access (RRA) B03 Gem Cable Solutions A60 Nightstick B17 WAGO D54 Gentex Europe G17 Nord-Lock Group A40 Wedge Group Galvanizing H44 Geo Kingsbury Machine Tools H15 Oilaway A36 Xrail Group C31 Geobrugg A35 Oldham Engineering G18 York EMC Services - Eurofins York H51 Goldwing Cable D40 Omicron Electronics UK E36 ZEP UK H56 FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.UK

RAILWORX 2019 EVENTS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

The 2017 eve welcomed 40 exhibitors and 13,000 visitor

RAIL MEDIA AND PLANTWORX LAUNCH BRAND NEW RAIL EQUIPMENT TRADE SHOW

LANTWORX, the UK’s largest working plant and equipment exhibition in 2019, is about to get even bigger with the introduction of a new dedicated section for the rail industry. New for 2019, RAILWORX, which is being organised by Rail Media alongside the PLANTWORX team, will offer rail industry manufacturers and suppliers the chance to showcase their latest innovations as part of the huge multi-industry exhibition. It is the first time that rail has had such a significant presence at the show and reflects the growing importance of railway infrastructure projects to the UK construction industry.

Celebration of innovation and enterprise

Jolene Price, Rail Media’s events director, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with PLANTWORX to expand rail’s presence at such a significant exhibition for the manufacturers and providers of construction equipment. “Projects like HS2 and Crossrail 2, as well as Network Rail’s £47 billion CP6 programme, present a huge opportunity for the sector, but there is also a lot of pressure on the industry to meet this demand. RAILWORX will be a celebration of innovation and enterprise across the sector. It will be a great opportunity for our railway colleagues to learn from developments in other sectors and vice versa.” Exhibitors at the 2017 event, which was held at the Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground near Lutterworth, included the likes of JCB and CAT. The exhibition welcomed 400 exhibitors from a variety of construction sectors, including groundworks, utilities, highways and demolition, and around 13,000 visitors. The 2019 event promises to build on the previous show’s success as it moves to a new home: the East of

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England Arena and Events Centre in Peterborough. Held every two years, PLANTWORX is organised by the Construction Equipment Association (CEA) - the trade association that represents the UK’s equipment sector. Rob Oliver, chief executive of CEA, said: “PLANTWORX remains committed to its core purpose of showcasing the best construction equipment on offer to the UK market. Two major new initiatives for 2019 are the move to the purpose built East of England Arena and Event Centre and the addition of RAILWORX which will run alongside PLANTWORX.”

Spread across 25,000 square metres, RAILWORX will include a mix of trade stands and live demonstrations.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

EVENTS

ent 00 d around rs.

The PLANTWORX and RAILWORX sites combined will cover more than 100,000 square metres.

Rob added: “The biggest construction projects going forward are rail related - HS2 alone is worth in the region of £55.7 billion. Our partnership with Rail Media will give us access to key rail project executives and make the most of the great business opportunities now emerging.”

Stands and live demos

The East of England Arena and Events Centre has permanent indoor and outdoor exhibition facilities and areas for machine demonstration. The venue has a long tradition of hosting big machine events, with the likes of Truckfest and LAMMA - an agricultural equipment show - being held at the site. Spread across 25,000 square metres, RAILWORX will include a mix of trade stands and live demonstrations. The PLANTWORX and RAILWORX sites combined will cover more than 100,000 square metres. On the final day of the show, school children from the surrounding area will be invited to explore the show and learn how the equipment on display helps to build railways around the country. Jolene added: “The UK’s construction and rail sectors both face skills shortages that present real risks to the delivery of future infrastructure projects. By bringing in young people from the community, we hope to be able to inspire a new generation to consider a career in construction and engineering.” To help everyone get to the exhibition, PLANTWORX has partnered with Virgin Trains to secure a 30 per cent discount on train services for visitors, exhibitors and organisers. PLANTWORX and RAILWORX will be held at the East of England Arena and Events Centre on 11, 12, 13 June 2019. For more information about RAILWORX, contact railworx@railmedia.com or call 01530 816 444. For more information about PLANTWORX contact angela.spink@plantworx.co.uk or call 020 8253 4517. FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.UK

EVENTS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

RAIL PARTNERSHIP AWARDS 7TH JUNE, VOX, BIRMINGHAM

EVENTS

APRIL 2018

MAY 2018

JUNE 2018

MACH (ENGINEERINGBASED MANUFACTURING)

INFRARAIL

RAIL PARTNERSHIP AWARDS

www.infrarail.com/2018

www.railpartnershipawards.com

10TH UIC HIGH SPEED RAIL WORLD CONGRESS

RAIL PROCUREMENT SUMMIT

9th-13th April NEC, Birmingham

www.machexhibition.com

YRP ANNUAL BLACK TIE DINNER & DANCE 13th April Roundhouse, Derby www.youngrailpro.com

METRO & LIGHT RAIL 18th April Bilbao, Spain

www.terrapinn.com/conference/ metrorail/

26TH RAIL FREIGHT GROUP ANNUAL CONFERENCE 19th April London

waterfrontconferencecompany.com/ conferences/rail-freight-group-conference

RAIL TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT 26th April Bird & Bird, London

1st-3rd May ExCeL, London

8th-11th May Istanbul, Turkey

www.uic-highspeed2018.com

NEW TRAINS IN THE NORTH 15th May York

www.railwayoperators.co.uk

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RAILWAY ENGINEERING 16th-17th May London

7th June VOX, Birmingham

18th June Addleshaw Goddard, Manchester www.railsummits.com

JULY 2018 ECHILLS WOOD MODEL RAILWAY 25th July Sutton Coldfield www.theiet.org

events.theiet.org/railway-engineering

SEPTEMBER 2018

CROSSRAIL: A NEW ARTERY FOR THE UK

RAILSPORT

www.theiet.org

www.railsport.uk

24th May Reading

www.railsummits.com

7th-9th September Loughborough University

INNOTRANS

18th-21st September Berlin, Germany https://www.innotrans.de/en/

GUIDE TO UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE RAIL INDUSTRY THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, AT A GLANCE

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RA POW ILW E AYP RED EO BY PLE .CO M

TH EL AR GE ST WE DEDI BS CAT ITE E IN T D RA HE IL C UK ARE ER S

THE CHANGING FACE OF RAIL COME AND FIND YOUR NEXT CAREER OPPORTUNITY

VISIT THE RECRUITMENT WALL ON STAND F66 AT INFRARAIL 2018

WWW.RAILWAYPEOPLE.COM

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TRAINING

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

MASTERING APPRENTICESHIPS IS THE RAILWAY MEETING ITS APPRENTICESHIP TARGETS AND ARE COMPANIES REAPING THE BENEFITS OF THE APPRENTICESHIP LEVY?

ust a few months ago, Arriva Trains Wales appointed the UK’s first community rail apprentice. Danielle Hopkins, 23, said she had read about the position online and was drawn to the opportunity. The chance to become the link between an industry she felt passionately about and her local community was too good to pass up. Danielle’s was one of several apprenticeship success stories told last month as National Apprenticeship Week aligned with International Women’s Day, giving businesses the perfect chance to talk about the talented young women joining their ranks. Last month, the new HS2 minister, Nusrat Ghani, met female apprentices at the National College for High Speed Rail in Birmingham. A total of 76 apprentices have been employed through HS2 and its supply chain so far. High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd has employed its first 25 apprentices, of which 40 per cent

are female, within the last six months, mostly in project management, project planning and commercial roles. “We’re very keen to ensure we have as broad a range of people as possible,” said Kate Myers, head of skills and employment at HS2.

SETTING TARGETS In 2016, the Government’s transport infrastructure skills strategy included a goal to recruit 30,000 new apprentices in the transport sector by 2020 - of which around 20,000 would be created in rail. National Apprenticeship Week provided plenty of evidence that the industry is endeavouring to meet this target. MTR Crossrail recently welcomed its 200th driver apprentice. The company was the first train operator to be listed on the register of apprenticeship training providers (RoATP) and its first group of apprentices have now completed the 18-month course, allowing them to drive unsupervised. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport © NCHSR

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(SPT), which operates the Glasgow Subway, also announced the reintroduction of an apprenticeship scheme within its engineering maintenance team. The SPT last ran an apprenticeship scheme in 1995. More than 20 years on, a group of four new apprentices has joined the team at its Broomloan depot.

LEVY OR TAX? The apprenticeship levy was introduced in April 2017 to help facilitate the creation of more apprenticeship opportunities, but it has received a mixed reaction. Since it came into force, the number of new apprentices across the country has actually fallen by more than half. The Department for Education (DfE) said the lower figures were expected. With 24 months to spend their new levy fund, many companies could still be determining how they can maximise their investment. However, business groups believe that, in many cases, companies are paying the levy like a tax and failing to draw money back because they are unclear about how the system works. According to the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) apprentice numbers have also

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

TRAINING

“WE’RE VERY KEEN TO ENSURE WE HAVE AS BROAD A RANGE OF PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE” fallen in the rail industry. NSAR estimates that the rail sector pays around £35 million into the levy each year, with at least half of the industry’s workforce thought to be employed by levypaying companies. Despite this, the sector is only drawing down around 20 per cent of the amount it pays in. During CP6, between £175 million and £190 million will be paid into the levy but, if the current trend continues, only £35 million will be invested back into the industry. Based on these figures, © SPT

£140 million could leave the sector over the next control period that could have been invested in training existing staff and employing new apprentices. In response, NSAR has launched a partnership between 15 further education colleges and the industry to help companies to better understand and deliver apprenticeship schemes. The problem, NSAR believes, isn’t a lack of demand for apprenticeships but a lack of opportunities. “Overall, apprenticeship levy

payments, made by the industry, are sufficient to meet the training cost to deliver the target 4,500 apprentice starts each year. Demand for apprenticeships in rail is strong. But the availability of apprenticeships, across all employers, is low.” However, some organisations have praised the levy for allowing them to expand their apprenticeship programmes. Engineering consultant WSP said it has been able to double its intake of female apprentices since 2016 thanks to the levy. The number of female apprentices joining the company rose from nine in 2016 to 22 in 2017, with the total number of apprentices increasing from 41 to 70. WSP said the levy had allowed the business to diversify its apprenticeship programme. It now offers apprenticeships for school leavers and degree-level apprenticeships.

HIGH ON THE AGENDA

HS2 also pays into the levy, but Kate doesn’t believe it has moved apprentices any higher up the agenda. HS2 still has a long way to go. The organisation has committed to creating 2,000 apprenticeships over the course of the project and is already subject to public sector targets which stipulate that 2.3 per cent of its workforce must be made up by apprentices. The companies which have been awarded the enabling works and the main works contracts are also contractually obliged to ensure that a certain proportion of their workforces are apprentices (2.5 and 4 per cent respectively) and they in turn are expected to include training targets in contracts with their suppliers. A similar approach was taken on Crossrail, which Kate worked on between 2009 and 2015. Its contractors were required to hire

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TRAINING

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

e as mor h TfL yed ,200 s plo n 8 ntice 9. m e tha pre 200 ap nce si

either an apprentice or an unemployed person from the local community for every £3 million of spend. The Elizabeth line’s operator, MTR Crossrail, also pays into the levy. It too believes the levy has benefitted the business, creating more apprenticeship training opportunities for existing employees. The Crossrail operating concession includes a requirement for MTR Crossrail to employ seven apprentices each year, which would total 53 apprentices over the course of the contract. MTR Crossrail has already well exceeded its obligations, with 264 of its employees undertaking apprenticeship training since May 2015. “I think people now assume that apprentices just go with the territory and they should just be looking to do that,” said Kate. She added: “Things like the levy hopefully, in the next year or two, we’ll see more benefit from that.” RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

OPPORTUNITY

“I think we’re in an improving position,” said Kate, when asked how well she felt the industry was meeting its apprenticeship targets, but it remains a major challenge. Around half of the industry’s workforce is over 45 and approaching retirement, underlining the need for a demographic shift across the railway industry. HS2 organises and attends skills events all around the country to highlight its apprenticeships to prospective students. Over the course of the past two years, HS2 has held 120 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) inspiration days, reaching more than 6,000 students aged between 11 and 14. These opportunities aren’t exclusively for school leavers. People are working later into their lives and no longer have a “single shot” to decide on their careers, said Kate. “We do need to continue to push not just

young people but make sure that parents and teachers are aware of the apprenticeship route,” said Kate. “I think the kudos that apprentices are starting to get is really making a difference.” However, it’s the words of current apprentices that often prove the most persuasive. “As I’m working on the role, I’m doing a lot of work out in the community, building a lot of relationships with stakeholders,” said Danielle, who is from Tonypandy in the Rhondda Valley. “It’s a great way for people to get into a work environment without having to go the university route. It’s hands-on experience that you’re gaining on the job. I think it’s invaluable.”

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BECOMING A

BTP DOG HAN U

nlike his cartoon namesake, Scooby the British Transport Police (BTP) dog runs towards danger. The English springer spaniel and his handler, Mark Sayer, are one of 13 pairings in the force’s specialist explosive search dog unit that put their lives on the line stepping into the country’s most dangerous situations. In 2017, the duo were dispatched to the aftermath of the Westminster terror attack, the Manchester Arena bombing and the Parsons Green bombing. They helped to assess the threat of further attacks, conduct hi-visibility patrols to reassure the travelling public and ensure there were no secondary devices to allow the bomb squad to proceed. Wherever there is a potential threat from explosive devices on or around Britain’s railways, Scooby, or one of the gang, will be there. It is an unenviable reality of the job that means they’re often on the frontline during the country’s darkest hours.

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NOT YOUR TYPICAL HIRING PROCESS

Preparing for such a demanding role is tough. Applicants - that is any BTP officer who has passed their two-year probation period - have to pass through the typical recruitment process. If they progress, the process changes a little from your standard job application and induction. First of all, their home is inspected to ensure their garden meets requirements. The dog not only becomes an integral part of the officer’s work life but their personal life too, living in their homes and becoming part of their families. The garden must be enclosed, have a six foot secure fence around its perimeter and adequate room for the dog and its supplied 10ft x 5ft kennel. If the candidate doesn’t have a garden, the application ends there.

PUTTING THEM THROUGH THE MILL A two-week residential “suitability” course then follows at the police dog training centre. Candidates are quizzed on pre-released material on the first day and if they don’t meet the expected standards, they’re removed from the course.

Those that progress are “put through the mill”, as BTP chief dog training instructor Steve Palmer explains. Long days consist of exercising, cleaning, feeding and grooming dogs in the morning and a range of activities during the remainder of the day. This includes fitness tests - officers have to achieve a bleep test score of 5.7, slightly higher than BTP’s standard of 5.4 - assessing their voice modulation - going from high to low pitch to reward or discipline a dog - and tasks that test their ability to interact with and control dogs of various sizes. “This is where we have a look at the person to see if they have the attributes and the ability to become a dog handler,” explains Steve, who is responsible for ensuring the correct dogs are sourced, trained to the correct standard and have the correct handler. “A lot of people think anybody can do it but it’s not the case, we have quite a high failure rate,” he adds.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

TRAINING

NDLER “They don’t actually understand what it entails. You’ve got that dog with you 24/7, 365 days a year. When you’re off at the weekend, your dog is with you. You need to walk it, feed it, take it to vets. I always say its not a job, it’s a vocation.”

LICENCE TO WORK The final stage is a 12-week course with the handler and their paired dog to ensure they can

work to the expected standard. This course covers control and command of the dog and introduces it to the scents they will have to detect and locate in buildings, big open areas and vehicles. Upon the successful completion of this course, they are granted a one-year license. However, the hard work doesn’t end there. As well as an annual two-day

licensing test by a police dog instructor, which both have to pass, the pair must attend two four-day refresher courses run by the dog school each year, and a minimum of 10 continuation training days, which take the dog to live environments such as train depots to expose it to the materials they’re meant to find, but aren’t assessed. “The training is very intense” says Mark Sayer, who patrols mainline stations in London with his dog Scooby. “At the end of the day, if my dog is not performing correctly and not finding what it’s supposed to find, in Scooby’s case explosives, the ramifications are deadly,” he adds. “So we really have to be hot on training to make sure the dogs are up to the required standards. “In the world of explosive searching, the hardest thing is what we call a safe systematic search. If I’m searching a building and I start from the main front door, I can’t leave anywhere behind me unsearched as I

go through because if I find a bomb, I need to know that the route I’m taking out has been searched and that I’m not walking past further bombs on my way out. That’s probably the make or break thing that people would cause people to fail on a course.”

COMMENDATION The explosive search unit isn’t BTP’s only dog unit. It also has 30 general purpose dogs and previously had a separate drugs dog unit, but that has been integrated in recent times. A number of BTP’s dogs and handlers have been applauded for their work over what has been a particularly tough year including Scooby and Mark. With a certificate of achievement from Gloucestershire Constabulary’s chief constable and a commendation from BTP chief constable Paul Crowther in recent months, the pair have certainly earnt their Scooby Snacks.

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TRAINING

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DRIVING LESSONS MARC JOHNSON TOOK TO THE CONTROLS OF AN S STOCK SIMULATOR TO LEARN HOW DRIVERS ARE PREPARING FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF AUTOMATIC TRAIN OPERATION

pen the doors, check the platform, close the doors and launch the train. This is the procedure for driving London Underground’s semi-automated S Stock trains. It sounds simple but the rollout of the revolutionary new signalling system which controls the trains is anything but. “They’re used to driving trains to signals whilst now we’re telling them to press two buttons and the train will drive itself,” said Stewart Beard, one of the instructor operators overseeing driver training for the 4LM programme at London Underground’s District line depot in Upminster. Around 1,000 drivers are completing the training, which explains how the new communications-based train control (CBTC) signalling system

works and how it will affect them day to day. Sixteen drivers currently go through the training each week. The four-day course teaches them how to drive the trains in ATO (automatic train operation) mode. This massive training programme began in November last year and more than 200 drivers on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines have already completed it. At the time of publication, the programme boasts a 100 per cent pass rate as it edges closer towards its 2019 deadline.

AN ADJUSTMENT The CBTC signalling solution developed by Thales for the 4LM project does away with the traditional fixed-block signalling and allows trains to run closer together, increasing capacity across the network. The entire sub-surface network, which makes up around 40 per cent of the Tube system, will be under CBTC control by

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2023. This includes the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. The solution being employed on the sub-surface lines differs from the CBTC system installed on the Northern and Jubilee lines, where the sleeper-mounted sensors that provide the train location data are hard wired. On 4LM, the data is transferred over a Wi-Fi network. The switch to CBTC will take place gradually, with sections

of the network moving over to the new system one area at a time - these sections are known as Signalling Migration Areas (SMAs). The driver training programme will need to be completed by February next year when the third migration area, which includes Aldgate junction one of the busiest junction on the network, goes live. The reaction from drivers has been mixed, said Stewart. Many are understandably apprehensive about how it will change some of their fundamental responsibilities as drivers. They will still have to open the doors, close them when the platform is clear and launch the train but they will no longer have to manually bring the train up to speed or brake on approach to stations. A new display in the cab will also show messages from the control centre in Hammersmith which could, for example, tell the driver that the train will be held at the next station and give them a countdown to when they are free to launch. “These drivers, for the longest time, have been driving with a

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

TRAINING

Stewart Beard.

handle,” said Stewart, who joined London Underground as a trainee driver in 2001. “They bring the train to a stop, they let go of the handle and open the doors.” ATO is not new for London Underground. A section of the Central line between Hainault and Woodford was using ATO as early as 1964 and CBTC is now standard for new metro lines around the world. These systems are the future of train operation, but change can be unsettling. Stewart explained that, although much of the actual driving will become automated, drivers are still essential to the system’s safe operation. “The driver is not controlling the train in ATO, not motoring and braking and coming to a stop. The computer is doing it for

them. They are opening doors and closing doors and making sure everything is safe in front of them,” said Stewart. He added: “It’s still down to the driver to tell the system it’s ok to go, so the driver’s still in control of that. Now they’re just not in control of the driving and the braking.”

THE COURSE Four simulators built by Sydac, part of Knorr-Bremse, are being used to deliver the training programme. The simulators, which are an exact replica of an S Stock cab, use a bank of screens around the outside to recreate a driver’s view of the network. They can simulate a variety of different scenarios that drivers could face.

“If they do make an error it doesn’t matter, but we’d rather it happen here than out in the network with fare-paying customers,” said Stewart. Throughout the week, drivers have the opportunity to practice on the simulator with their colleagues. At the end of the week, each driver is given a final exam where they must complete a number of scenarios unaided. The final day of the course is spent shadowing a driver on the Northern line, where ATO is already in use. As ATO goes live across the sub-surface network, and more drivers complete the training, this part of the course will take place on S Stock trains. The training sessions give drivers the opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns.

Stewart explained how one driver asked about how secure the system was from a cyber attack, eliciting a detailed response which explained the various layers of encryption used and pointed out that any hacker would need access to the wayside to be able to connect to the trackside infrastructure. “It’s as safe as anything can be,” said Stewart.

EIGHT TRAINERS, SIX COURSES Transport for London (TfL) currently has eight trainers and two courses a week; this will eventually ramp up to six courses a week. Once the Hammersmith & City and Circle line drivers have gone through the programme, it will move on to the Metropolitan line and, finally, the District line. In addition to major retraining programmes like this one, TfL tests its drivers every year to maintain standards. Stewart, 46, became an instructor operator in 2008. “I wanted a challenge,” he said. London Underground’s technical evolution has duly obliged.

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YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

S L A N IO S S E F O R P YOUNG RAILHE TEAM MEET T

organise has enabled me to gain a much broader insight into the wider rail industry than I would otherwise get from my normal job and taking leadership roles in the organisation have really helped me experience the joys and challenges of leading and managing a team .

What does the chair’s role involve?

As chair of YRP this year, I will support, co-ordinate and manage the YRP executive committee to deliver yet another fantastic year of YRP to the industry. Along with ensuring that we have strong regional committees delivering events and ambassador activities around the country, we will be pushing to deliver another successful annual dinner, Rail Week and also co-host an international technical tour to the Netherlands. As a team, we will be striving to improve and grow YRP, so we can continue to have a positive benefit on the rail industry and its future.

GEORGE CHILCOTT – TREASURER

Tell us about your career

RP’s new executive committee talk about their careers and what the organisation means to them.

MICHAEL CHARTERIS – CHAIRMAN

Tell us about your career

I currently work for Network Rail as a scheme project manager in the team delivering the new Brent Cross station on the Thameslink route between Cricklewood and Hendon. I joined Network Rail in 2013 on the project management graduate scheme after graduating from Edinburgh University and have been involved in delivering a number of exciting projects, including Birmingham New Street redevelopment and the new Bromsgrove station.

What has been your past involvement with YRP?

I have taken an active part in the YRP since joining the rail industry, regularly attending events and doing ambassadors activities to promote the rail industry to school and college students. I took the lead in setting up the West Midlands region in 2014, which I was then chair of for two years. I was also national YRP secretary for a year and have been national treasurer for the last year. Over the last year, I have also led on the delivery of the new YRP website which has enhanced functionality to enable us to better manage how we deliver our YRP objectives.

What do you enjoy about YRP?

YRP has been an amazing opportunity to meet people from across the industry, both those in the early part of their careers as well as many senior industry leaders and experts. Attending the varied events we

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I graduated from the University of Bath with a masters in integrated mechanical and electronic engineering. I have been in the rail industry for three years, mainly as a rail systems engineering consultant working on large enhancements programmes - Great Western and Brighton main line route modernisations, for example. This year, I joined the Department for Transport as policy lead for rail contestability. In this role, I am leading cross-industry work to reform the mechanisms through which we finance, fund, deliver and govern enhancements and renewals. My policy team are at the cutting-edge of challenging strategic reform and our work will affect almost all of the next control period determination.

What has been your past involvement with YRP?

I joined YRP in 2015 and have played a role in my regional committee (LSE), the ambassador group and speaking on behalf of YRP at partner events. I initiated and led the revision of our university engagement programme - now called “into rail” - and I am a strong advocate for the potential of YRP to influence the rail sector and tackle some of our biggest challenges in skills, innovation and growth sustainability.

What do you enjoy about YRP?

I have a lot to thank YRP for. The exposure and experience that I have received through the organisation has massively accelerated my career. Aside from the benefit YRP has given my professional and personal development, I love the diverse and engaging group of rail colleagues I have met through the organisation, and am now proud to call my friends.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

to organise a range of networking and development events – including monthly networking socials; the East Midlands Annual Summer Barbecue; a Welcome to Rail event and a visit to Network Rail’s East Midlands Control Centre. In spring last year, I took up the role of national networking and development manager and helped to deliver the 2017 Annual Leadership Conference. I have also had the privilege of delivering a number of “Welcome to YRP” presentations to apprentices at the National Training Academy for Rail in Northampton.

What do you enjoy about YRP?  What does the treasurer’s role involve? In my role as treasurer this year, I will act with the diligence, care and integrity commensurate to the responsibility of the position. In addition to the day-to-day role, I intend to conduct a review of the fiscal and structural health of YRP, an organisation which has enjoyed several years of massive growth. In addition, I will engage with senior industry partners to access industry funds and grants, linking specific YRP aims and objectives with enabling financial support.

MOHANAD ISMAIL – VICE CHAIR

Tell us about your career

I currently work as a project engineer. My job requires me to deliver technical solutions based on the client’s needs. I am currently working on the digitisation of the London Underground advertising displays. This will see the complete transformation of how advertising is being displayed in the underground and give our client the ability to tailor the viewing content to the audience in the underground with a click of a button.

I had already been working in the rail industry for two years before I became involved with Young Rail Professionals and joining YRP completely broadened my scope of the industry and the people who work in it. Through YRP, I have had the opportunity to mix with inspiring individuals from every rail industry discipline thinkable and I have enjoyed volunteering with them to help deliver YRP’s objectives of helping to inspire, promote and develop the next generation of rail industry talent.

What does the national secretary’s role involve?

This year, I have been elected to the role of national secretary; and it is now my responsibility to ensure the reliable and efficient running of our organisation and that both the National Executive Committee and all the regional committees get the support they need to deliver their objectives and their programme of events. Also, as YRP has evolved and grown as an organisation, I will also be taking a look back at our organisation’s structures and processes to ensure that we are in a robust state to continue into the future with a real purpose against the background of the constantly changing needs of the rail industry.

What has been your past involvement with YRP?

I have been with YRP coming up to three years now and, in my time here, I have held multiple positions from West Midlands external relations manager to West Midlands chair. During my time as chair, I have created a new relationship between the YRP and NCHSR and also delivered the first Welcome to Rail Event at NCHSR that has seen senior project director from HS2 attend as our guest speaker.

JOIN

What do you enjoy about YRP?

I enjoy the YRP as it gives myself and all those who are keen to develop and grow the opportunity to do so. The only limitation is your imagination and your drive - YRP does the rest.

PAUL RUANE - SECRETARY

Tell us about your career

In September 2012, I joined the rail industry as a graduate signalling designer for Signalling Solutions Limited (now Alstom Transport UK Ltd) after graduating from the University of Nottingham with a BEng degree in electrical and electronic engineering in 2011. During my time with Alstom, I had the opportunity to work on some of the rail network’s largest re-signalling schemes, including the Bristol Area Signalling Renewals and Enhancements Project and Crossrail surface signalling on the stretch of railway between London Paddington and Maidenhead. In the Autumn of last year, I moved to Network Rail in Birmingham as a signalling designer and I now have the opportunity to work on scheme development for a variety of different projects.

What has been your past involvement with YRP?

My YRP journey started in September 2014 when I attended the East Midlands’ region launch event. Since then, I have spent a lot of time volunteering with the East Midlands Regional Committee where I helped

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

MEMBERSHIP Young Rail Professionals promote, inspire and develop the careers of young people in the rail industry. Membership is free and entitles you to attend our annual black tie dinner, seminars and be part of the fastest growing online rail community. www.YoungRailPro.com

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CAREERS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2018

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CAREERS

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